LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 397

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SOCIAL MINISTRY 397

by AAL. Rev. Melvin Witt and Dr. Ben Eggers represent
LCMS on the policy committee. This program, which is attempt-
ing to help the emotionally disturbed veteran as well as those
veterans who have found adjustment back to their communities
most difficult, also includes concern for the whole question of
amnesty.

For the past 4 years our church has officially been involved
in efforts to combat racism. For many years we have passed
resolutions indicating the sinfulness of prejudice and bigotry,
but we have failed to implement them. The Lutheran Human
Relations Association of America has made yeoman efforts to
change attitudes and patterns of behavior. Our department has
assisted in developing some changes. The Board of Directors
has established an Affirmative Action Policy and Plan. We have
become a member of Project Equality and have encouraged our
Districts, agencies, and congregations to become participants
in their areas. We see some progress, but we also see many
injustices and unkind practices that reflect attitudes other than
Christian. In keeping with the Social Ministry Affirmations: “We
affirm that God expects us to develop wholesome human rela-
tionships.” Therefore we support programs that lead to the
elimination of racist and separatist attitudes and call on all
persons to avoid the practice of applying stereotypes to ethnic
and social groups that result in people being polarized rather
than reconciled.

The current economic crisis in America places before us
a gigantic problem of unemployment. With the national figure
above 8.5%, and with minority teenage unemployment as high
as 44%, we must face the reality of millions of hurting people
and families. Though government must provide leadership in
meeting this problem, the church cannot forget that the victims
of unemployment are also God's people. As the church we must
reach out so that every congregation becomes a center of con-
cern, surrounding the hurt with love, undergirding the suffering
with support, and reaching out with concerned efforts to find
work for those without it, and opportunities for service to people
within and without the church. Now more than ever the church
must be a caring community.

Christ's Care Through Us for the Future

The work of social ministry is never done. When one prob-
lem seems to disappear, another develops. Our Lord Christ
makes it clear in the Scriptures that we ‘‘must not grow weary
in well-doing.” We have two reasons why we must not: (1) There
is no end to human need. People need our help. (2) There is no
other way of Christ reaching people except through us. This is
how His caring goes on.

We suggest that the following areas serve as opportunities
for all of us to convey the caring of Christ:

. To the millions of unemployed and under-employed:

. To the millions of victims of hunger and poverty:

. To the victims of injustice and oppression;

. To the growing number of aging persons who feel
unwanted and useless;

To the families and children who are broken and hurt:
To the ill-housed and “homeless”;

To the millions of victims of alcohol and drugs:

To the victims of inadequate correctional programs;

. To the safety and security of people in our communities;
To the environment of our world which God has given
to us.

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Board of Social Ministry and World Relief
Julian G. Hoffmann, Chairman

Howard A. Foard, Vice Chairman

Robert H. Mugge, Secretary

Dallas A. Martin

Marie Sump

Roland Luedtke

Thomas R. Zehnder

Staff.
Alfred Y. Armstead, MSW, ACSW
Secretary for Agencies and Institutions
Eugene C. Gunther, Secretary for District and
Parish Welfare Services
Melvin E. Witt, Secretary for World Relief
Leslie F. Weber, D. D., Executive Secretary

8-02

Report of Commission on
Ministerial Health

The pilot program for professional church workers requiring
psychological assistance was concluded at the end of 1974. The
pilot program, funded by a grant from the Wheat Ridge Foun-
dation, provided the Commission on Ministerial Health the
opportunity to be of service to professional church workers
who required such assistance as well as District Presidents
who were seeking help in ministering to such individuals. At
the same time the commission had the opportunity to study the
need for psychological assistance and the type of program that
should be provided by the Synod. Through working with the
pilot program during the past 3 years the commission gained
invaluable insights regarding:

1) the very obvious need for providing a program to which
District Presidents and church workers can turn for assistance:

2) the intensity, long-term past history, and possible diffi-
culties in working with such cases:

3) the lack of information on the part of some professional
church workers regarding the availability and nature of assis-
tance that can be provided to those in need:

4) the ever-present stigma possibilities that can become
attached to institutions, agencies, and even individuals involved
in treatment of emotional and psychological disorders:

5) the need for more realistic appraisals of the cost in regard
to the evaluation and treatment phases of the program:

6) the willingness to assist and courteous cooperation on
the part of the management of Concordia Plans: and

7) the sincerity and dedication of some members of the
evaluation and treatment teams.

On the basis of the pilot program the commission, through
a budget request to the Synod, has sought continuation of a
program of psychological assistance to professional church
workers who are experiencing a need for such help. With such
financial assistance the commission intends to continue a pro-
gram that has been developed on the basis of the experiences
and insights gained from the pilot program.

Very sincerely, the commission desires to express appreci-
ation to individuals in the following organizations who con-
tributed to the insights gained through the pilot program as
well as the assistance they provided at traumatic times in the
lives of some professional church workers: The Wheat Ridge
Foundation. the Council of Presidents. the Board of Directors
of the Synod, Concordia Plans, Lutheran Medical Center,
Omaha, Nebr., and Lutheran Medical Center, St. Louis, Mo.

Obviously the commission has been able to make progress
in the development of a program through the loyal service and
faithful attendance at commission meetings, especially when
critical decisions regarding the nature and continuation of the
program had to be made, by commission members and by Mr.
William Barge, synodical Director of Personnel. The commis-
sion will also long remember the dedicated service rendered
by Rev. John F. Gaertner, former Director of Personnel.

Besides regular meetings in St. Louis and at Lutheran
Medical Center, Omaha, Nebr., where the pilot program was
conducted, the commission met with officials of other Lutheran
synods in an effort to supplement its insights through a sharing
of experiences and a focusing on approaches that could result
in more effectively serving church workers who need profes-
sional psychological assistance. The courtesy and desire to be
of service oni the part of individuals from other synods has been
greatly appreciated.

The commission looks back over a time of program develop-
ment, at times presenting very difficult challenges and neces-
sitating crucial decisions, with gratitude to God for the progress
He made possible. Hoping to learn always from the past, espe-
cially from the pilot program, the commission looks forward to
development of assistance for those whose ministry can be im-
proved and enriched through services provided by the min-
isterial health program of the Synod.

W. C. Langefeld, Chairman
Martin J. Maehr, Secretary